Birthmark

The beige mark,

imprinted on the surface

of my skin,

marks the beginning of my story.

Shaped like a continent,

the mark

carries unique cells held by ancestors

who trekked along

the rugged foothills of Europe

and down the rough plains of Africa.

The mark

rises from its roots in the dermis

like island coffee beans

sprouting from the land,

roasted by the golden sun that

blazed upon my people as they ploughed the earth.

The mark,

my café au lait birthmark,

swirls with equal parts light and dark ,

bronze like the afternoon sun

setting over my families new home.